An innovative use of a single non-networked DGR201080 DVR from Digimerge Technologies Inc., Markham, Ontario, Canada, is to record still images and documentation of patrons of the Lotus Supper/Dance Club in New York City.
This is being done for the purpose of liability protection and compliance with governing liquor laws.
The system documents at the exclusive club in New York’s popular meat packing district the face and ID presented by any potential patron entering the liquor-serving establishment by recording both to the DGR201080. If and when any law enforcement, underage-drinking sting occurs within the club, the owners can prove by playing back the DVR the documentation that was presented by all patrons.
“The DGR201s are perfect for an emerging application here in New York, although it’s a niche market but may have excellent potential,†asserts security dealer Joseph Bolanos.
“Using a document scanner such as that for passports, drivers licenses, etc. integrated with the DGR201080, I’ve developed a podium that self-contains all the components and scans/records the documents and faces of the entering patrons,†Bolanos explains.
The scanner has two video inputs, one for an external camera and one camera inside the black housing to scan the documents. Video output to the DVR in alarm mode documents the face of the person and then switches to the document to match the person with it. The DVR’s 80GB hard disk drive can record 3,000 events, Bolanos estimates.
For more information contact Digimerge Technologies at (905) 946-8589 or visit www.digimerge.com.
DVR video surveillance put a stop to a serial shoplifter at a convenience store.
A digital video recorder helped apprehend a serial shoplifter at Hen House Markets, Kansas City, Mo., who spent more than half his life stealing to support his drug addiction. This cost Balls Food Stores, of which Hen House Markets is a division, more than $10,000 in one year.Last year, when the shoplifter set out to steal groceries, cigarettes and alcohol, the video surveillance cameras, linked to an SRX digital video recorder from i³DVR, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, captured images of the incident in progress.
The crimes recorded resulted in high-quality images that allowed the loss prevention manager to identify the thief easily. The incriminating video subsequently was handed over to police to be used as evidence.
Additional evidence was uncovered, including a history of 23 charges over a span of 25 years. “The I3 digital video recorder performed flawlessly, and the video evidence was a large reason why the prosecutor treated this shoplifter as a special project, and why this shoplifter’s sentence was more severe than an average shoplifter’s sentence,†said the loss prevention manager.
For more information, contact I3DVR at (866) 840-0004 or visit www.i3dvr.com.
National Accounts Serviced
Linux-based DVRs have helped this dealer provide versatility and stability for its national account customers.Linux-based DVRs, called VPON, from Aegis Micro Inc., Chatsworth, Calif., allow Gemco National Industrial Security (GNISEC) to provide remote solutions for Internet or PSTN in a variety of unique ways.
Randy Jones, GNISEC’s president, reports his company has end users who can access an entire group of cameras from their stores via the Internet with a single click on their computers, even though some of their locations are in areas where broadband is not available.
After researching VPON’s remote phone line transmission background, GNISEC presented its requirements to Aegis Micro’s engineers. They were able to make changes in their firmware and software to accommodate low bandwidth solutions, Jones notes.
GNISEC now can provide streaming video over Broadband and standard phone lines for clients all over the United States using VPON’s embedded systems. With their H.263 compression, GNISEC provides a fully functional remote video solution.
The other benefit of this compression is long-term storage. With the 500GB of hard drive GNISEC has been installing, Jones says the dealer regularly sees up to six months of storage at a good frame rate and usable image quality.Since the DVR is actually an embedded system, it will notify the user or GNISEC’s service center if a hard drive fails. This allows GNISEC to simply send a replacement drive to the client with instructions on how to replace it.
For more information, contact Aegis Micro Inc. at (818) 407-9878 or visit www.aegismicro.com.
Video Integrated With Extras
Additional applications were integrated into a video system for a major client.I.B.T. Video Systems, Schererville, Ind., manufacturer and distributor of the DVSR Hybrid digital surveillance line as well as other CCTV equipment, is known for its long-term partnerships within its dealer network. Michael Khayan, general manager of Dinter Electric Motor Corp., Carle Place, N.Y., exemplifies that strong bond.
One of Dinter’s major clients required additional security measures beyond general video surveillance in several of its facilities. Khayan contacted the manufacturer and worked with Tony Vargas, vice president of operations for I.B.T. Video Systems.
Vargas and the technical support team at I.B.T. showed Khayan how to integrate additional applications into the system to meet the specific needs of his client. Dinter Electric and I.B.T. Video share the common objective of providing total security solutions with the end user in mind.
Khayan commented on the service he received, “I.B.T. Video has combined the best of the DVR and PC technologies to offer powerful surveillance systems that can be custom-designed to satisfy the specific needs or requirements of any application, while at the same time, providing outstanding reliability and stability at a competitive cost.â€
Because of this dedication to old-fashioned customer service, I.B.T. Video has established relationships with dealers across the country from California to Massachusetts. “Our dealers are strong partners in our organization,†Vargas declared. “We believe in conducting business on a first-name basis, not through an account number.â€
Currently I.B.T. Video is customizing marketing for its dealers. “We work with each individual to give them the best opportunity to succeed,†Vargas maintained. “Each client has different needs, and we will customize our systems to meet those demands.â€
For more information, contact I.B.T. Video Systems at (866) IBT-VID1 or visit www.ibtvideosystems.com.
Retail Security Accessed Easily
A Fresno mall apprehended the culprit in fraudulent transactions using DVR video records.The Fashion Fair Mall, Fresno, Calif., caters to the diverse needs of more than 800,000 shoppers in a 25-mile radius. After a recently completed $20-million, 90,000-square-foot outdoor expansion, the mall now boasts more than 140 stores covering more than 900,000 square feet.
With such a high volume of traffic, on-the-ground security professionals needed help. From the parking lots to the food court and everywhere in between, products from Pelco, Clovis, Calif., were at the top of the shopping list when it came to expanding the mall’s video security system.
In 2003, the mall installed two DX8000 digital video recorders and 32 Spectra III positioning systems as part of a $10 million remodeling effort. Another DX8000 and five additional Spectra III dome cameras were installed for the most recent expansion in 2005.
“The advanced technology – the Pelco Spectra IIIs combining with the digital interface of the DX8000s – made installation labor costs manageable,†explained Kelly Yost of Turner Security.
Before acquiring the DVRs, footage was recorded on videotapes, which required extensive time and financial resources to maintain, store and search for specific incidents.
Thanks to the powerful features and capabilities of the DX8000, security personnel now can quickly and accurately pull the necessary video in fractions of the time – saving money, man-hours and speeding up the investigation process.
The Pelco system enables Fashion Fair Security to assist the police with their investigations. One recent example involved a family who had hired a caregiver for their aging grandmother. They began finding receipts from credit card purchases the grandmother said she had not made.Using the store receipts with time and date stamps, security personnel were able to easily recall video and see who left the stores with purchases during the specified time frames. The footage retrieved from the DX8000s provided the much-needed evidence to prosecute the caregiver.
For more information, contact Pelco at (800) 289-9100 or visit www.pelco.com.
Banking on the Best Features
An armored car company upgraded its security to a DVR-based system.Dunbar Armored and Dunbar Cash Vault Services are part of an armored car company that serves retailers, financial institutions and the Federal Reserve from more than 85 branch locations throughout the U.S.
Although Dunbar always had excellent security in one form or another, its current analog video system was starting to show some limitations. Finding a particular image on surveillance tape – whether in response to a customer’s request or for their own purposes – was a labor-intensive, painfully slow process.
“We were spending a lot of time on the analog system searching for the right frame,†explained Doug Spector, Dunbar’s national director of compliance. He knew that digital video could do more than speed up their efficiency. It would improve picture quality as well.
Intelligent Marketing Inc., a manufacturer’s representative for American Dynamics, part of Tyco Fire and Security’s Access Control and Video Systems business unit, Boca Raton, Fla., proposed that Dunbar try out American Dynamics’ flagship product, the Intellex digital video management system.
Intellex combines multiplexing and alarm/ event detection with video, audio and text recording.
The plan is to install Intellex at every Dunbar cash vault and armored facility over the next three to five years.
This ability to respond quickly and completely is expected to reduce claims and losses and is already cutting system maintenance expenses.
For more information, contact American Dynamics at (858) 642-2400 or visit www.americandynamics.net.
